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Their spectacular leaf-like appendages are used entirely for camouflage, not swimming. They steer using tiny, transparent fins that beat rapidly to move them along.

Like their close seahorse relatives, it is the male leafy seadragon that gets pregnant, carrying and incubating the eggs on a specialized brood patch on the underside of his tail.

They lack teeth and a stomach, meaning they must feed near-continuously by using their long tubular snout to vacuum up thousands of tiny mysid shrimp every day.

The leafy seadragon is the official marine emblem of South Australia.

Their eyes can move independently of one another, allowing them to scan for potential predators and floating shrimp at the exact same time.

Leafy seadragons can change color slightly depending on their diet, age, location, and stress level.